Grade 2 Science Week 7 | Teacher Guide

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Day 31: What Is a Habitat?

Standard: Grade 2 Science Standard 7, 2.7

Practice record: Backyard observation, printed on the Week 7 Practice Workbook.

Worked example: A squirrel builds a nest of leaves high in a tree. What need does the nest meet? Worked answer: Shelter.

1. The earthworm.
2. The ant and the clover.
3. An animal needs food and water to stay alive and shelter to stay safe from weather and other animals. If a place does not have these, the animal cannot live there. Accept any answer that links needs to survival.

Teaching note: Take a short walk outside and name the food, water and shelter you can see.

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Day 32: Forest Habitats

Standard: Grade 2 Science Standard 7, 2.7

Practice record: Forest living things, printed on the Week 7 Practice Workbook.

Worked example: Why do many forest animals use trees? Worked answer: Trees give them food and shelter.

1. Leaves and acorns.
2. The mushroom.
3. Example: The owl uses a hollow tree for shelter, and the woodpecker finds insects to eat in tree bark. Accept any two from the table with a correct use of trees.

Teaching note: If possible, visit a wooded area and look for signs of animals: nests, holes, tracks or chewed acorns.

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Day 33: Desert Habitats

Standard: Grade 2 Science Standard 7, 2.7

Practice record: Comparing habitats, printed on the Week 7 Practice Workbook.

Worked example: Why does a cactus have a thick stem? Worked answer: It stores water.

1. The forest.
2. In a burrow under the ground.
3. A desert gets very little rain, so there is little water to keep a frog’s skin wet. A forest has more rain and more wet places. Accept any answer that uses the low rainfall from the table.

Teaching note: Some frogs do live in deserts by staying underground until it rains. This lesson keeps to the main idea: most desert life is built for little water.

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Day 34: Survey a Small Habitat

Standard: Grade 2 Science Standard 7, 2.7

Practice record: Survey results, printed on the Week 7 Practice Workbook.

Worked example: Why should you watch both spots for the same amount of time? Worked answer: So the comparison is fair.

1. The shady spot.
2. 6 kinds (3 plants and 3 animals).
3. Pill bugs and snails need damp places, and shady ground stays damper than sunny ground. The survey found them only where there was shade. Accept any answer linking dampness or shade to their needs.

Teaching note: Pill bugs and snails dry out easily, so they are usually found in shaded, damp places. Return every animal to where it was found.

Hands-on task observation checklist (Habitat survey). Check each item you observe. Four or five items shows the child met the task goal; two or three means repeat the task with support.

• ☐ Child chose two different spots and marked them.
• ☐ Child observed without harming any living thing.
• ☐ Child recorded plants and animals for each spot.
• ☐ Child counted the kinds of living things in each spot.
• ☐ Child stated which spot had more kinds and gave a reason from the observations.

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Day 35: Independent Check: Land Habitats

Standard: Grade 2 Science Standard 7, 2.7

Practice record: Text: Grasslands, printed on the Week 7 Practice Workbook.

Worked example: What four things does a habitat give living things? Worked answer: Food, water, shelter and space.

1. Grasses.
2. In burrows under the ground.
3. Example: Rabbits eat the grass, so the grassland gives them food. Accept any animal from the text with a matching need.

Teaching note: Independent check: read the text aloud if needed, but give no hints.

Week 7 Student Textbook | Week 7 Practice Workbook | Week 7 Teacher Guide | Week 6 Student Textbook | Week 8 Student Textbook | Grade 2 index